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Friday, July 30, 2010

If you can take the time to read my comment below the article, you might also think about this:

From a nutritional standpoint, there are nutrient combinations in some meat that do not commonly occur in other foods. For example, it can be difficult to find other foods with the combination of significant amounts of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, and iron that you find in meat.

Processed poultry often is filled with such additives as soy broth, salt water, or other substances in a method referred to as "plumping". Frozen turkeys also are subject to this. Consider too that the water used in this process may be fluoridated so you are being medicated without your permission in some circumstances.

Another reason to make sure you read the label on the food you are purchasing!

Chicken producers debate 'natural' label

By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 30,

SAN FRANCISCO – A disagreement among poultry producers about whether chicken injected with salt, water and other ingredients can be promoted as "natural" has prompted federal officials to consider changing labeling guidelines.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had maintained that if chicken wasn't flavored artificially or preserved with chemicals, it could carry the word "natural" on the package.But the agency agreed to take another look at its policy after some producers, politicians and health advocates noted that about one-third of chicken sold in the U.S. was injected with additives that could represent up to 15 percent of the meat's weight, doubling or tripling its sodium content. Some argue that could mislead or potentially harm consumers who must limit their salt intake.
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service plans to issue new proposed rules this fall.
Perdue, the nation's third largest poultry producer, is among those pushing for a change. The company has joined a group called the Truthful Labeling Coalition, which has hired a lobbyist and launched an advertising campaign.
"Our labels say natural or all natural only if there is nothing added," Perdue spokesman Luis Luna said. "Under no circumstances is it acceptable to label poultry that has been enhanced with water or broth or solutions as natural, or all natural."
Such mixtures are injected into poultry to make the meat tastier and more tender.
The two largest chicken processors, Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods, are among those that affix "natural" labels to chicken injected with extra salt and water. Industry experts said the practice has become more common in the past decade.
Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company sponsored a national study that found most consumer didn't mind those labels if the ingredients added were deemed natural.
Gary Rhodes, a spokesman for Pilgrim's Pride, said the company simply wanted to offer its customers a choice.
"We offer both 100 percent natural enhanced and non-enhanced fresh chicken," Rhodes said. "It really depends on what the customer wants. It's all about choice."
But Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, argued that current labeling rules leave consumers confused. He said the industry needs to work harder at being clear about its products.
"With all the talk about food now, all the interest in salt, the chicken industry needs to be very upfront about these issues, and be very truthful," said Mattos.
A buyer perusing the chicken counter at a San Francisco supermarket agreed.
Muembo Muanza, 30, said he read the label and considered the price but never thought to check the salt content when buying fresh chicken.
Most people buying fresh, unprocessed food will assume, like he did, that nothing is added, said Muanza, whose family has a history of high blood pressure, a condition that can be worsened by high salt intake.
"If it says natural, I expect it to be all natural - nothing but chicken," he said.
California Sen. Barbara Boxer weighed in on the issue earlier this year, calling in a press conference for the USDA to "immediately prevent sodium injected chicken from using the 'natural' label and require all poultry producers to identify added ingredients in print large enough to ensure that consumers can make informed choices."
The issue is worrisome because Americans generally eat far too much salt, with serious health consequences, said Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
Her research, published this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that regulations aimed at cutting back Americans' sodium intake could save $10 billion to $24 billion in health care costs, and thousands of lives, every year.
Government intervention is needed, Bibbins-Domingo said, because much of the salt people eat comes in prepared food, not out of a salt shaker.
"We have to educate people to read labels and make better choices," she said. "When there are foods that people consider to be fresh and without additives, and they also have salt added, you feel you are almost fighting a losing battle."
In a report issued this year, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which advises the federal government, revised the recommended daily salt intake from a teaspoon a day to about two-thirds of a teaspoon. It pointed to meat with added salt as a particular problem.
Foster Farms, based in Livingston, Calif., has been at the forefront of the campaign to change labeling rules.
The company sells marinated products that have added salt - but it is clear to consumers, said company spokesman Ira Brill. The problem with injection is the customer can't tell what's in their chicken.
"One of the issues we face as a nation is how to eat healthy," Brill said. "To the degree you like salt, you should be able to add it. But you should be able to make that decision for yourself. "

suit filed by the state of Virginia against the U.S. government to proceed, saying no court has ever ruled on whether it's constitutional to require Americans to purchase a product.

The state of Virginia can continue its lawsuit to stop the nation's new health care law from taking effect, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson said he is allowing the suit against the U.S. government to proceed, saying no court has ever ruled on whether it's constitutional to require Americans to purchase a product.

"While this case raises a host of complex constitutional issues, all seem to distill to the single question of whether or not Congress has the power to regulate -- and tax -- a citizen's decision not to participate in interstate commerce," Hudson wrote in a 32-page decision. Complete article

Health-policy experts across the political spectrum are wary of Obamacare’s promises to increase access to health care and lower costs.

Use 'search' to locate more than 36 related Natural Health News posts on this topic

The libertarian Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner notes President Obama recently told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd that the law “not only makes sure everybody has access to coverage but is reducing costs.” Tanner refutes those claims:

“The bill doesn’t come close to giving ‘everybody’ access to coverage. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 10 years from now there will still be at least 21 million uninsured Americans. That’s an improvement over today, but it’s a far cry from the universal coverage that Obama once promised. And nearly half of the newly covered aren’t getting access to true health insurance but are being added to the Medicaid program, with all of its attendant problems of access and quality.”

“Even further from reality is the president’s continued insistence that the new law is ‘reducing costs.’ In fact, the administration’s own chief health-care actuary reports that the law will actually raise US health-care spending by $311 billion over 10 years. This failure to control costs means that the law will add significantly to the already crushing burden of government spending, taxes and debt.”

“Anyone who thinks that their insurance premiums will be going down in the foreseeable future is going to be disappointed. The law does nothing to restrain the growth in insurance costs. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office says that premiums will double over the next six years, roughly the same rate of increase as would have occurred without health-care reform.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and cofounder of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), told the SocialistWorker.org that the health-reform bill was actually written by the insurance industry and doesn’t address underlying problems:

“The big problem with the bill is that so much money and power is being handed to the private health insurance industry, which is the cause of the problem in the first place.… If you look at the [political] donations, plenty of insurance industry money did go to the Democrats. An insurance industry vice president, Elizabeth Fowler, actually came to work for Sen. Max Baucus, the head of the Senate Finance Committee, and was the author of the Baucus Framework for the legislation.”

“Under the new ‘exchanges’ set up under the law for the uninsured to go to buy insurance, people will have to spend up to 9.5 percent of their income for policies that cover only 70 percent of health care costs. So you would still be in a situation of having insurance that was so skimpy that you would have difficulty getting care when you needed it. As you know, Massachusetts has the prototype of this reform. If you go on the Internet to look at our insurance exchange, it’s called theMassachusetts Connector. For someone in their mid-50s, the cheapest policy available that would meet the mandate for someone who is paying the full rate—which is anyone who makes more than $33,000 in income a year—costs more than $5,000 per year in premiums. Then, if you get sick, there’s a $2,000 deductible—so you have to take another $2,000 out of your pocket before the insurance kicks in. And then, for the next $15,000 in health spending, you’re responsible for 20 percent of everything—$3,000. So it’s extremely expensive if you get sick and have to use it once you buy it.”

“That means that many people willstilllack access to care—because they won’t be able to afford to use their insurance policy, even if they own it.”

Norwegian vitamin K supplier NattoPharma has backed the role of vitamin K in calcium metabolism following the controversialBritish Medical Journalmeta-analysis linking calcium consumption and increased risk of heart attack.

The article has drawn widespread industry criticism for inappropriately“cherry picking”data, but NattoPharma says regardless of that fact, the research highlights the importance of vitamins D and K in the way the body processes calcium.

“Vitamin D helps the body absorbcalciumand vitamin K2 activates the proteins responsible for directing the calcium to the bone where we want it and out of the arteries where it can have detrimental negative effects,”said NattoPharma chief executive officer, Morten Sundstø.

The company referencedvitamin Kresearcher, Professor Cees Vermeer, who backed observations made by two of the researchers that,“the only mechanism for arteries to protect themselves from calcification is via the vitamin K‐dependent protein MGP.”

“MGP is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, but non‐supplemented healthy adults are insufficient in vitamin K to a level that 30 per cent of their MGP is synthesised in an inactive form. So protection against cardiovascular calcification is only 70 per cent in the young, healthy population, and this figure decreases at increasing age.”

NutraIngredients coverage of the calcium research that found the risk of vascular calcium deposits causingheart attackoutweighed potentialbone healthbenefits can be foundhere.

Sundstø noted the western diet was something like 30 per cent deficient in vitamin K2 which could extenuate calcium deposits, especially among over-50s who commonly use calcium supplements to ease osteoporosis.

Vermeer added:“Obviously, an increased calcium load (by taking calcium supplements) will be beneficial for bone strength, but at the same time it will worsen the situation for the vasculature.”

from 30 July, 2010 - One part of this equation seems to be overlooked and that is the type of calcium supplement and the amount of calcium supplementation.

Too often I find that people do not want to spend money for supplements and look for the most inexpensive product rather than a high quality product that will fare them better in the long run.

Numerous studies have been completed that clearly establish the lack of benefit from mas market supplements made with the lowest grade, and most often least effective ingredients.

Calcium carbonate is just one of these ingredients, and its also the main core found in TUMS.

For many not well apprised of the best ways to utilize supplements, TUMS is one of those often suggested by doctors to help bones. Those same doctors are quick to forget that all this calcium overload add a negative effect to the blood buffering system. You know, the buffering system that keeps your blood pH in normal range.

Often this form of calcium can lead to bone spurs and calcium deposits basically because your body just can't metabolize it effectively. We've got better options for you to consider.

And I guess no one told the same doctors that BonAmi, my favorite commercial scouring powder, is made from the very same form of calcium -carbonate!

Calcium pills 'increase' risk of heart attack

By Emma WilkinsonHealth reporter, BBC News

Calcium supplements taken by many older people could be increasing their risk of a heart attack, research shows.

The study, in the British Medical Journal, said people who took supplements were 30% more likely to have a heart attack.
Data from 11 trials also suggested the medicines were not very effective at preventing bone fractures.
Almost 3m people in the UK are thought to have osteoporosis and many take calcium pills to prevent fractures.
The study recommends doctors review their use of calcium supplements for managing osteoporosis.
The National Osteoporosis Society said most people should be able to get enough calcium through their diets, rather than reaching for the medicine cabinet.
The researchers said those who had a diet naturally high in calcium were at no increased danger.'Limited benefit'In all 12,000 people aged over 40 took part in the trials of calcium supplements of 500mg or more a day.

It is a balance of risks - people should consider the risks involved and how they apply to their own circumstances and discuss the matter with their GP” Dr Alison AvenellStudy author

The risk of heart attack was seen across men and women, was independent of age and the type of supplement given.
A small increased risk of death was seen in the study but was not statistically significant, the researchers said.
The reason for the increased risk of heart attack is not clear but it is thought the extra calcium circulating in the blood could lead to a hardening of the arteries.
Calcium in the diet is safe and the Food Standards Agency recommends adults have 700mg of calcium a day from milk, cheese and green, leafy vegetables.
Dr Alison Avenell, from the University of Aberdeen which did the research with colleagues in New Zealand and the US, said the evidence suggests calcium supplements only have a limited benefit in preventing fractures, especially when compared to other treatments available.
"It is a balance of risks - people should consider the risks involved and how they apply to their own circumstances and discuss the matter with their GP," she said.
She added the results did not necessarily apply to younger people with conditions for which they take calcium.
Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said the results should be interpreted with caution because the trials did not set out to look at the risk of heart attack.
"However, the research should not be completely ignored," she said.
"Any new guidelines on the prevention of fractures in those most vulnerable to them should take this type of analysis into account."
Dr Claire Bowring, of the National Osteoporosis Society, said: "We've always recommended that people should aim to get the calcium they need from their diet to help build stronger bones.
"If you get all of the calcium that you need from your diet and adequate vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, then a supplement will not be necessary."
She said there were still questions to be answered about the treatment of osteoporosis but advised people taking calcium supplements to talk to their GP, especially if they have a heart condition.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that studies suggest a possible increased risk of bone fractures with the use of proton pump inhibitors for one year or longer, or at high doses. Package insert labels for the drugs ...

Dr Victoria King, of the charity Diabetes UK, said: "We really do need further evidence through properly controlled trials before we can conclusively link thiazolidinediones to increased risk of various bone conditions in humans and ...

A few points to consider - DpD only indicates current bone loss. There are so many factors regarding bone loss - including; those who never gained peak bone mass for multiple reasons - eating disorders or simply not eating well during ...

It is very critical that you understand that the bisphosphonate drugs are associated with killing off specific cells that have to do with the complete cycle of bone construction and destruction in the body's natural physiology. ...

When we consider the rogue's gallery of devilish, over-sized, greedy and disproportionately powerful corporations, we generally come up with outfits like Microsoft, Bechtel, AIG, Halliburton, Goldman-Sachs, Exxon-Mobil and the United States Senate. Yet somehow, Monsanto, arguably the most devilish, over-sized, greedy and disproportionately powerful corporation in the world has been able to more or less skulk between the raindrops -- only a household name in households where documentaries like Food Inc. are regarded as light Friday evening entertainment. My house, for example. But for the most part, if you were to ask an average American for their list of sinister corporations, Monsanto probably wouldn't make the cut.

Estradiol Spray May Pose Risk for Kids and Pets - Menopausal women who use a spray form of topical estradiol (Evamist) to control hot flushes should avoid touching children and pets with treated areas of the skin, the FDA warned.

The agency said it had received eight reports of children ages 3 to 5 who showed breast enlargement and other signs of estrogen exposure after contact with women using the product.

Directions for use of the product -- approved in 2007 -- call for it to be sprayed onto the inside of the forearm.

"Patients should make sure that children are not exposed to Evamist and that children do not come into contact with any skin area where the drug was applied. Women who cannot avoid contact with children should wear a garment with long sleeves to cover the application site," the FDA recommended.

FDA Finds Pneumonia Risk with Daptomycin - The FDA said that the intravenous antibiotic daptomycin (Cubicin) may be linked to an increased risk of eosinophilic pneumonia -- a rare but serious potential side effect -- and requested that a new drug label warning be added.

The agency reviewed the medical literature and adverse event reports for daptomycin and identified seven cases of eosinophilic pneumonia between 2004 and 2010 "that were most likely associated with Cubicin" on the basis of six criteria, the agency indicated in a Drug Safety Communication.

"Based on these reviews, FDA determined that eosinophilic pneumonia can be associated with Cubicin use and requested that the manufacturer of Cubicin include this information in the Warnings and Precautions and Adverse Reactions, Post-Marketing Experience sections of the drug label," according to the statement.

In 2007, the daptomycin label was amended to include pulmonary eosinophilia as a potential adverse reaction.

Medical education is a form of brainwashing, not too different than educating future lawyers. Most higher education is not far removed, because it is the major way, just as in the days of the Guilds, that a trade or profession was continued. Keeping the education process in a narrow perspective fosters the culture in that field, and perpetuates the lack of growth and change, new ideas, or new approaches.

One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient. Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.

I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors who look at a computer, not at them, and type while talking. Others just say that the doctor just doesn't listen. I another case the person has told me that the doctor forces her beliefs against natural treatment and makes this person feel demeaned. The complaints and horror stories fill a book.

This recent UPI article points to this concern, so perhaps you'll see some effort to begin listening to patients come around once again.

Physicians often misjudge patient beliefs

Dr. Richard Street from Texas A&M University in College Station and Dr. Paul Haidet of Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey found patients' health beliefs differ from their physicians' perception of these beliefs, and suggest doctors pay more attention to what their patients have to say.

The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found physicians generally do not have a good understanding of patient's health beliefs, but their understanding is significantly better when patients more actively participate.

"If physicians had a better understanding of their patients' beliefs about health, they could address any misconceptions or differences of opinion they had with the patient regarding the nature, severity, and treatment of their illnesses as well as make treatment recommendations better suited to the patient's life circumstances," Street said in a statement. "Encouraging the patient to be more involved in the consultation by expressing their beliefs and concerns is one way physicians can gain this understanding."

Street, Haidet and colleagues analyzed 207 audio-recorded physician-patient consultations as well as surveys about the cause, treatment and other aspects of the patients health condition conducted by both physicians and patients after the consultation. Physicians were also asked about how they thought the patients responded.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Good dental health really does come from good nutrition, not from fluoride in water, pills or toothpaste.

Other things that make good additions to your dental health program are brushing with plain soap (which isn't bad tasting after you try it) and using calcium lactate powder added to your healthy, additive free toothpaste.

During the past 24 hours a Natural Health News reader was searching for information about the use of lithium and any connection it may have with Alzheimer's Disease.

Lithium is often used in mental health for people with the alleged diagnosis of Bipolar dis-order or also referred to as manic-depressive illness.

Using lithium has some serious side effects to consider, the major one leading to severe thyroid problems. Regular blood testing is required. Lithium toxicity is a risk as is retention with diuretic use or kidney function issues.

Proper function of the thyroid is important in aging and memory issues. I have mentioned many times that in the past those physicians who were well educated about aging and dementia routinely prescribed vitamin B12 shots and natural thyroid. Dementia was very infrequent during this time, about 40-60 years ago. Some more informed physicians today are returning to this protocol.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A new study has found a higher incidence of respiratory problems and chromosomal changes to white blood cells among fishermen who helped clean up a 2002 oil spill off the Spanish coast, providing a guide to potential flashpoints that may arise as federal scientists begin studying the long-term health of responders to this summer's Gulf of Mexico gusher.

The exposed workers were examined two years after their contact with spilled oil, when "a greater proportion" of that group was found to still experience respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and nighttime shortness of breath, the study's authors wrote. Chromosomal abnormalities in white blood cells, considered a potential marker for heightened cancer risk, was also detected at higher rates in fishermen who regularly came in contact with oil during cleanup work.

UPDATE: 21 August

Oil Enters Food Chain: The recent discovery of trace amounts of oil in blue crab larvae has left experts forecasting dire news for the Gulf ecosystem. It’s evidence that the oil from the spill loosed from the Deepwater Horizon explosion has already begun working its way up the food chain — where it could be fatal to animals who ingest it. Read more...

Newly Discovered Oil-Eating Microbe Flourishing in Gulf -

WASHINGTON (Aug. 24) -- A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Science / AAAS / AP

In this image provide by the journal Science, microbes degrade oil, indicated by the circle of dashes, in the deepwater plume from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as documented in a study by Berkeley Lab researchers.

And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress.

UPDATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS! - Dr. Michael Harbut has provided up-to-date information for physicians. Michael R. Harbut, M.D., M.P.H. is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University, Director of the Karmanos Cancer Institute's Environmental Cancer Program & Past Chair of the Occupational & Environmental Medicine section of the American College of Chest Physicians. He is Chief at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, P.C. and has treated many patients with solvents and petroleum exposures. Click here to read Dr. Harbut's recommendations.

The Independent 24.7.10TOXIC LEGACY OF U.S ASSAULT ON FALLUJAH 'WORSE THAN HIROSHIMA'
Investigations by Dr. Chris Busby and others into the high levels of birth defects and cancers in Fallujah after the Iraq war, show a 12-fold increase in childhood cancers, increased leukaemia, lymphoma, a 10-fold increase in female breast cancer, & found a cocktail of possible causes including toxic agents from explosives, radiation etc. Published in 'International Journal of Environmental Studies & Public Health.' From the report "Cancer, Infant Mortality & Birth-Sex Ratios in Fallujah, Iraq, 2005-2009." It says the actual cause remains unknown.
(Edward's comments: Toxicology reports on those affected should show high levels of the causative agents, so it would no longer be 'cause unknown'.)

I have had experience with EPA, most specifically in Region X that covers most of the Pacific Northwest. My experience comes from the fact that I volunteer for the Silver Valley Community Resource Center. I know about the bureaucracy in Washington state too because for more than 30 years I have lived there.

I frequently offer this information when I present one of the Green Living programs I began teaching in the mid-late 80s.

I like to tell about Gary Locke, now at the Commerce Department in D.C., who while a state legislator proposed legislation to block fertilizer from coming into or being used in Washington if it contained heavy metals or other toxic substances. This hasn't had great outcomes. The protected EPA and Washington state bureaucrats get away without too many proven successes too.

Then there are the fish folks around Puget Sound who were and may still be concerned about farm and garden chemicals and fluoride in the water supply, and the effect it has on marine life.

Well, as a shrink I know at Harvard used to say when an undergrad at Princeton, here we are!

I guess I just have to say - what has taken you all so damn long to act? And where the hell are the outcomes that should have shown up 30 years ago?

You might wonder too...

byLes Blumenthal- Jul. 25, 2010, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The nation's farmers could face severe restrictions on the use of pesticides as environmentalists want the courts to force federal regulators to protect endangered species from the ill effects of agricultural chemicals.

A ruling eight years ago by a federal judge in Seattle required the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Environmental Protection Agency to review whether 54 pesticides, herbicides and fungicides were jeopardizing troubled West Coast salmon runs.

The agencies moved recently to restrict the use of three of the chemicals, including a widely used one with the tradename Sevin, near bodies of water that flow into salmon-bearing streams, and they're considering restrictions on 12 additional chemicals. The Washington State Department of Agriculture says such restrictions would prevent pesticide use on 75 percent of the state's farmland. Read more:http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/25/20100725env-pesticides0725.html#ixzz0uiQ9h92Q

NOTE: If you have an "enhanced Driver's License" the RFID tag containing your personal data may be at risk of 'skimming' from WalMart's tag readers. Another risk as WM and others move to this technology is that it willplace you in a veritable mine filed of EMF pulsing. This could harm your health and certainly increase the risk to anyone working in such an environment for hours each day.

Today the Wall Street Journal broke an enormous story: Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has declared war on our privacy. The giant retailer has announced it will begin placing item-level RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tracking tags on clothing sold in its stores.

THIS IS HUGE NEWS. It is the first step to the planned roll-out of the Internet of Things, where global corporations like IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Wal-Mart's technology partner NCR plan to equip every product with a tracking device and use a network of RFID readers to monitor and observe YOU everywhere you go. It is the frightening world detailed in our book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID," and it is finally coming to pass.

Unless we stop it, Wal-Mart's roll-out is scheduled to begin next month.

As you know, RFID is a powerful tracking technology that raises unprecedented privacy concerns. Wal-Mart's plan does more than just threaten our privacy -- it is poised to become a direct threat to our freedom and civil liberties, as I will describe in future emails.

It is imperative that we immediately act to oppose Wal-Mart's RFID rollout. I have placed calls and given Wal-Mart an opportunity to respond, but as of this afternoon, Wal-Mart corporate executives and media representatives have not returned my calls.

In the meantime, we are formulating a response to Wal-Mart's plans that will protect consumers. I will keep you posted on this breaking story.

=====================================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

The fact that I am an activist, outspoken for the most part, and of Choctaw, Chickasaw, and E. Cherokee heritage, I find that corporate sponsoship of programs that discriminate against any person to be offensive.

Back in about 1955 I was lucky enough to be the daughter of a physician and surgeon who had an interest in natural health. At the time he was one of the early subscribers to Organic Gardening and Prevention magazines from Robert Rodale's organization. It happened too that Rodale was just upstate in my home state of Pennsylvania.

I've written several times about how I devoured each month's issue and how it was part and parcel of turning me into a doctor of a different color. I've even been involved in more recent years in a number of Rodale's publications, including Woman's Book of Healing Herbs.

As far as anti-aging therapy goes there are many ways to look at this, and implement programs. I went for herbs and orthomolecular and nutritional approaches to health.

I was taunted, especially by my mother who live to 99. But undaunted, to this day, I stick with my beliefs and what I learn in almost daily continuing education.

My organiztion, CHI, can help you too. Currently, with your donation you can receive a copy of our Rejuvenation Cleanse.

A panel of 10 luminaries in the field of gerontology, including Aubrey de Grey, Caleb Finch and Jan Vijg, convened to urge the translation of recent findings in the field of aging into therapeutic agents that can benefit the world's growing population of older individuals. Their report was published in the July 14, 2010 issue of the American Association for the Advancement of Science journal Science Translational Medicine.

In the introduction to their article, the authors note that age is the greatest risk factor for the majority of chronic diseases in the western world, and is of increasing significance in the developing world as well. Functionality decreases with age while disease incidence increases, and mortality rates double approximately every 7 to 8 years following puberty. These phenomena are attributable to the accumulation of damaging changes in the body that occur at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels due to the effects of normal metabolism as well as environmental causes and unhealthy lifestyles.

In order to prevent a global aging crisis caused by a greater proportion of older individuals and the resulting increases in medical costs and social challenges, the panel advocates the collaboration of a number of countries in an international initiative to translate laboratory findings on aging into pharmaceutical agents that will improve the lives of older men and women.

"We propose a global biological aging research agenda focused on the detailed understanding of the following overlapping core age changes and developing therapies for decelerating, arresting, and reversing them: (i) the loss of proliferative homeostasis, (ii) neurodegeneration, (iii) somatic mutations in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, (iv) nonadaptive alterations in gene expression, (v) immunosenescence, (vi) nonadaptive inflammation, and (vii) alterations of the extracellular milieu," the authors write. "To ameliorate age-related changes, we identify three broad modes of intervention that should be exploited in addition to ongoing conventional, disease-centered medical innovation: (i) reduction in exposure to environmental toxins and amelioration of other risk factors through improved public health; (ii) modulation of metabolic pathways contributing to age-related changes; and (iii) a more broadly conceived regenerative medicine, to embrace the repair, removal, or replacement of existing aging damage or its decoupling from its pathological sequelae."

"There is this misunderstanding that aging is something that just happens to you, like the weather, and cannot be influenced," remarked Dr Vijg, who is chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. "The big surprise of the last decade is that, in many different animals, we can increase healthy life span in various ways. A program of developing and testing similar interventions in humans would make both medical and economic sense."

"In the case of late-life intervention in human age-related degeneration, what we can be certain of today is that a policy of aging as usual will lead to enormous humanitarian, social and financial costs," the authors conclude. "To realize any chance of success, the drive to tackle biological aging head-on must begin now." Source:Life Extension

When I saw this article circulating the airways and media venues, as well as the numerous tweets I received from the raw foodies and vegans I was laughing so hard my sides hurt.

Hard to say who paid for this room of alleged researchers to come up with the findings, but you really do have to question this.

When choosing your food plan there is quite a lot more that goes into selecting what is correct for you. Relying on mass media isn't always the best place to start.

I use a specific test that helps you learn what type of metabolism you have, based on twelve types. These types were developed 50 years ago based on solid nutrition research that preceded this method by another 30-40 years. And at that time research had "meat". It was based on solid scientific guidelines and it wasn't usually tainted.

Another approach I use is an old and proven food program that will re-balance your biochemistry.

Then I look at your personal nutritional deficiencies, in an approach I developed over many years in this work and with many people of differing backgrounds. I have a patent application pending.

Of course I defer to organic food, but I also provide information so you can select the healthiest food even when organic isn't available or you cannot afford it.

Some people can eat meat, some cannot. The same follows for vegetarianism and veganism, raw or cooked fanciers.

I also into consideration the issues of feed lots and mass production of meat, hormones, and antibiotics, as well as the type of feeding used in this wing of the food industry.

So you get a tailored plan, and you get educated. You'll receive support and get some balanced exercise information too.

Because I charge for this service I know that not everyone will take advantage of it, or any of the parts of it.

And ultimately because my work is based on education you might like to read the opinion of a trusted colleague on this latest babble.

TIP: One serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, or as others may say, the size of the palm of your hand.

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